The Wiseburn Unified School District is a school district in
Los Angeles County,
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
operating elementary and middle schools. Its headquarters are on the grounds of the Da Vinci charter schools facility in
El Segundo. Previously they were in
Hawthorne.
History
It was established in 1896.
[About]
Archive
. Wiseburn School District. Retrieved on April 4, 2014. In 1912 the
El Segundo School District opened, taking territory from Wiseburn.
[History and Profile]
Archive
. Centinela Valley Union High School District
Centinela Valley Union High School District, (CVUHSD) is a public union high school district located in southern California that serves about 6,800 students in grades 9–12 from Lawndale, Hawthorne, Lennox, Del Aire, and El Camino Village. ...
. Retrieved on April 20, 2014. Circa 1913
Manhattan Beach, which had a school, split off from Wiseburn School District into its own elementary school district.
There was a movement for the Wiseburn district to secede from the
Centinela Valley Union High School District
Centinela Valley Union High School District, (CVUHSD) is a public union high school district located in southern California that serves about 6,800 students in grades 9–12 from Lawndale, Hawthorne, Lennox, Del Aire, and El Camino Village. ...
which began as a signature collection drive around 2001.
[Merl, Jean. "A Bid to Drop Out of High School District." '']Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...
''. September 6, 2004. p
1
Retrieved on April 4, 2014. In 2002 the Los Angeles County Committee on School District Organization recommend ed that the vote to secede go forward but that the entire Centinela Valley area, and not just Wiseburn, vote on the secession issue. Wiseburn alone had 6,400 registered voters living in its boundaries while the entirety of Centinela Valley had 54,000 registered voters. Sandra Murillo of the ''Los Angeles Times'' stated that having the entire Centinela district vote on the matter would make it less likely to pass.
[Murillo, Sandra.]
Wiseburn Schools Secession Plan Clears a Hurdle, but There's a Catch
" ''Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...
''. May 2, 2002. Retrieved on April 4, 2014. The leadership of the Centinela Valley district was in favor of the entire district voting on the matter. In 2004 all board members of the
California Board of Education
The California State Board of Education is the governing and policy-making body of the California Department of Education. The State Board of Education sets K-12 education policy in the areas of standards, instructional materials, assessment, and ...
except for one, who abstained, voted to declare that the vote on whether Wiseburn may secede should only be decided within Wiseburn's boundaries. An election was scheduled for March 8, 2005, but in December 2004, David Yaffe, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge, granted a request from the Centinela district for a preliminary injunction, putting an
abeyance on the election.
[Merl, Jean.]
School District Breakup On Hold
" ''Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...
''. December 11, 2004. Retrieved on April 5, 2014.
On November 5, 2013, 92.63% of the district's voters participating in the election favored the establishment of Wiseburn as a
unified school district
A unified school district (in the states of Arizona, California, Kansas and Oregon) or unit school district (in Illinois), in the United States of America, is a school district that generally includes and operates both primary schools (kindergarten ...
, permitting it to establish a high school.
District boundaries
![Aerial Mattel Headquarters El Segundo May 2012](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0c/Aerial_Mattel_Headquarters_El_Segundo_May_2012.JPG)
The district has a territory of about .
[Kuznia, Rob.]
Aerospace business corridor in El Segundo a cash cow for Centinela Valley school district
" ''Daily Breeze
The ''Daily Breeze'' is a 57,000-circulation daily newspaper published in Hermosa Beach, California, United States. It serves the South Bay cities of Los Angeles County. Its slogan is "LAX to LA Harbor".
Early history
The paper was founded ...
''. February 19, 2014. Retrieved on April 19, 2014. The district serves Hollyglen,
[ located in western Hawthorne,][ and Del Aire and Wiseburn,][ ]unincorporated areas
An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...
south of Los Angeles International Airport.[ About 50% of the district is located in the city of El Segundo.][
As of 2004 the district receives large amounts of property taxes from aerospace and high technology industries in eastern El Segundo.][ This area has no residential population.][ the companies in that area include ]AIG
American International Group, Inc. (AIG) is an American multinational finance and insurance corporation with operations in more than 80 countries and jurisdictions. , AIG companies employed 49,600 people.https://www.aig.com/content/dam/aig/amer ...
,[Kuznia, Rob.]
Wiseburn district eyes wow factor in creating new comprehensive high school
" ''Daily Breeze
The ''Daily Breeze'' is a 57,000-circulation daily newspaper published in Hermosa Beach, California, United States. It serves the South Bay cities of Los Angeles County. Its slogan is "LAX to LA Harbor".
Early history
The paper was founded ...
''. March 28, 2013. Retrieved on April 19, 2014. Boeing
The Boeing Company () is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and p ...
, Mattel, Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman Corporation is an American multinational aerospace and defense technology company. With 90,000 employees and an annual revenue in excess of $30 billion, it is one of the world's largest weapons manufacturers and military techn ...
, Raytheon
Raytheon Technologies Corporation is an American multinational aerospace and defense conglomerate headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. It is one of the largest aerospace and defense manufacturers in the world by revenue and market capitali ...
, and Xerox
Xerox Holdings Corporation (; also known simply as Xerox) is an American corporation that sells print and electronic document, digital document products and services in more than 160 countries. Xerox is headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut (ha ...
. With the money from the area, the Wiseburn district had rebuilt all four of its schools in the 2000s.[ The Wiseburn district as a whole, as of 2002, generates about 40% of the assessed property value of the entire Centinela Valley district.][ Jean Merl of the ''Los Angeles Times'' wrote in 2004 that Wiseburn "provides by far the largest portion of the Centinela Valley Union High School District">/nowiki>the Centinela Valley Union High School District/nowiki>'s assessed property tax valuation."][ The companies contributed about 80% of the Wiseburn district's $87 million 2010 school bond.][
]
Demographics
In 2004 the school district had 2,000 students. At the time, about 33% were transfers from other school districts.[ As of 2014 the district allows parents in the ]Ladera Heights
Ladera Heights is a community and unincorporated area in Los Angeles County, California. The population was 6,634 at the 2020 census. Culver City lies to its west, the Baldwin Hills neighborhood to its north, the View Park-Windsor Hills co ...
community and the Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
neighborhoods of Mar Vista, Playa del Rey
Playa del Rey (Spanish for "Beach of the King") is a seaside community in the Santa Monica Bay and the Westside region of Los Angeles, California. It has a ZIP code of 90293 and area codes of 310 and 424. As of 2018, the community had a populat ...
, Playa Vista
Playa Vista is a neighborhood in the Westside area of Los Angeles, California. The area was the headquarters of Hughes Aircraft Company from 1941 to 1985 and the site of the construction of the Hughes H-4 Hercules "Spruce Goose" aircraft. The ...
, and Westchester to send their children to Wiseburn schools on inter-district transfers.
As of 2014 Wiseburn residents were also a part of the Centinela Valley Union High School district, with separate portions assigned to Hawthorne High School and Lawndale High School.[ As of 2004, of the districts feeding into the Centinela Valley school district, Wiseburn sent the fewest students.][ As of 2014, most students within the Wiseburn School District did not matriculate to Centinela Valley after leaving the 8th grade and instead went to other schools, including the Da Vinci charter schools in Wiseburn.][ Therefore, the students in the Wiseburn system did not stay together. Israel Mora, a board member of the Wiseburn district, stated that the education at Centinela Valley schools declined in the 1980s and that "They are trying to bring it back up, but it's a struggle for them."][
]
Student performance
As of 2004 the Wiseburn district Academic Performance Index
The Academic Performance Index (API) was a measurement of academic performance and progress of individual schools in California, United States. The API was one of the main components of the Public Schools Accountability Act passed by the Californ ...
(API) was 784. That year Jean Merl of the ''Los Angeles Times'' described the Wiseburn district as being "high-performing".[
]
Schools
Zoned schools:
* Richard Henry Dana Middle School (6-8) (Hawthorne)
**Dana is located in Hollyglen. Its current building opened in 2007.[
* Juan de Anza Elementary School (K-5) (]Unincorporated area
An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...
)
**The current Anza building opened in the northern hemisphere fall of 2002.[
* 138th Street School (3-5) (Hawthorne)
**It was modernized in 1999.][
* Juan Cabrillo Elementary School (K-2) (Hawthorne)
**In June 2007, 83% of district voters approved bonds to build a new campus for Cabrillo. In December 2008 the building's construction was complete.][
Charter schools:
* Da Vinci Design Charter School (9-12)
**The school opened in August 2009 as a way to provide an alternative high school.][
* Da Vinci Science Charter School (9-12)
**The school opened in August 2009 as a way to provide an alternative high school.][
* Da Vinci Communications Charter School (9-12)
* Da Vinci Connect (K-8)
**Opened in August 2011.][
the Da Vinci Design, Science, and Communications charters serve as the zoned high schools of people living in Wiseburn USD.
The charter high schools do not have all of the offerings of a traditional comprehensive high school and instead are specialized schools.][
]
Wiseburn High School
The district has plans to establish a Wiseburn High School campus that will house its three independent charter high schools, Da Vinci Communications, Da Vinci Design, and Da Vinci Science.[Wiseburn High School]
" Wiseburn School District. Retrieved on April 4, 2014. The district voters approved an $87 million bond to build the high school in November 2010. This was the first time that a California elementary school district approved bonds intended for constructing a high school. In 2013 the district completed an environmental impact report. The district intends to open the new campus in August 2017.[
In March 2013 the district closed escrow on the building's sale and approved the environmental studies. The City of El Segundo objected to the sale. The city administration officially stated the reasons as being noise, parking, and traffic, while Wiseburn officials stated the city feared losing tax revenue by having a former office building be converted to a school. The city cannot make taxes off of public schools.][
The school is being established in the 201 N. Douglas St. building, on a plot of land across the street from the ]Los Angeles Air Force Base
Los Angeles Air Force Base (LAAFB) is a United States Space Force Base located in El Segundo, California. Los Angeles Air Force Base houses and supports the headquarters of the United States Space Force's Space Systems Command (SSC), which w ...
and near El Segundo Boulevard. The facility, bought by the Wiseburn district for $46 million, was formerly leased by Northrop Grumman and owned by Douglas Property Holdings Co., LLC. In January 2014 Northrop had moved its employees out of the building and to Redondo Beach. On January 13 of that year, the ownership changed from Douglas Property Holdings Co., LLC. to Continental Development Corp., a company owned by El Segundo landowner Richard Lundquist. On the same day the Wiseburn district assumed ownership, taking it from Continental Development Corp.[
The renovation will be designed by the architecture company ]Gensler
Gensler is a global design and architecture firm founded in San Francisco, California, in 1965.
In 2021, Gensler generated $1.235 billion in revenue, the most of any architecture firm in the U.S. As of 2021, Gensler operated offices in 49 citi ...
. The district plans to retain about 66% of the existing building and remove the rest of it. The district plans to use four floors, with each floor the equivalent of one and one half soccer field
A football pitch (also known as soccer field) is the playing surface for the game of association football. Its dimensions and markings are defined by Law 1 of the Laws of the Game, "The Field of Play". The pitch is typically made of natural t ...
s. The district plans to establish an atrium
Atrium may refer to:
Anatomy
* Atrium (heart), an anatomical structure of the heart
* Atrium, the genital structure next to the genital aperture in the reproductive system of gastropods
* Atrium of the ventricular system of the brain
* Pulmona ...
inside the building. The Wiseburn School District plans call for building an auditorium and a gymnasium separate from the existing structure. The district offices will also be moving from their current location to offices on the first floor of the new building The 2010 school bond will provide the funding for the construction.[
Robert Kuznia of the '']Daily Breeze
The ''Daily Breeze'' is a 57,000-circulation daily newspaper published in Hermosa Beach, California, United States. It serves the South Bay cities of Los Angeles County. Its slogan is "LAX to LA Harbor".
Early history
The paper was founded ...
'' wrote that the district selected the site because of the proximity to the aerospace companies and because of the room allowed for parking and athletic fields.[
The district plans to move its charter high schools to the Wiseburn High School campus when it opens. The district offices will also be moving from their current location to offices on the first floor of the new building.][
]
Community relations
As of 2014 many aerospace engineers volunteer as tutors at Wiseburn schools.[
]
See also
* Non-high school district A Non-high school district is an American form of public school district which does not itself provide a high school, but instead reimburses nearby public districts with high schools for the education of students in the non-high district. At least ...
References
External links
*
{{Education in Los Angeles County, California
School districts in Los Angeles County, California
El Segundo, California
Hawthorne, California
School districts established in 1896
1896 establishments in California